LEISURE^27
Food & Drink
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“Order takeout. It’s your civic duty,” said Devra First
in The Boston Globe. In our city, we’re promoting
the idea that anyone who can afford to should be
ordering takeout once or twice a week just until
April arrives and struggling restaurants get a boost
from the return of outdoor dining. But this isn’t just
a Boston thing. “The story is the same every-
where”: Independent restaurants, and the owners
and employees who make them go, are fi ghting
to make it to the other side of winter. And you can
help guarantee their continued existence by order-
ing saag paneer this week, maybe a bean burrito
next Tuesday, and a pho the week after that. We call the effort Project Takeout.Don’t assume that ordering delivery through an app will do just as much good, said
Flora Tsapovsky in BonAppetit.com. At a time when restaurants have needed all the help
they can get, DoorDash, GrubHub, and similar delivery services “haven’t been looking
great.” Some have aggressively squeezed restaurants’ profi ts—while paying delivery
people poorly. Fortunately, new delivery services are arising that prioritize the health of
local businesses. Black and Mobile, which promotes black-owned restaurants, started in
Philadelphia before 2020 and has now expanded into fi ve cities. Fast-growing Chowbus
boosts the reach of Asian restaurants in 30 cities, and in New York City, an app called
Traiilo is being launched to support Latino-owned restaurants and groceries. Look for
similar operations. “These apps are changing the rules. They’re championing industry-
wide change, and it couldn’t come at a better or more crucial time.”Put away your Instant Pot and Dutch oven,
said Cathy Erway in Sheet Pan Chicken:
50 Simple and Satisfying Ways to Cook
Dinner (Ten Speed Press). The low-rimmed
sheet pan is “the no- nonsense workhorse
of the home kitchen.” Roasting dinner on
it buys you time on a busy weeknight, and
though my Taiwan-raised Chinese mom
cooked almost everything on the stovetop,
“I’m convinced that roasting chicken is one
of the easiest ways to coax out all the fla-
vors and features chicken provides.”With bang bang chicken, a Sichuan dish,
roasting the meat gives you ample time for
making its sauce and the rice, noodles, or
shredded lettuce you’ll serve it on. The dish
is called bang bang because the cook bangs
the roasted chicken with a wooden stick to
shred the tender meat. You’ll need a crispy
chile oil, such as Lao Gan Ma, and an Asian
sesame paste. “And sure, you could substi-
tute boneless, skinless chicken breasts here,
but I’d recommend any bone-in, skin-on
chicken pieces, so you’ll get crispy skin as
well as juicy meat, and drippings to add to
your sauce.”Recipe of the week
Bang bang crispy chicken
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, or any
other bone-in pieces
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp toasted sesame oilBang bang chicken: An everyday take on a Sichuan classic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
2 tbsp crispy chile oil
1 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (optional)
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Chinese black vinegar or red wine
vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and
julienned
Steamed rice; cooked Asian wheat noodles,
soba noodles, or bean-thread noodles; or
shredded lettuce
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and
julienned
2 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems,
coarsely chopped
½ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
(optional)Preheat oven to 450. Rub chicken with
1 tbsp sesame oil, salt, and white pepper.
Gently slide your finger underneath skin of
each breast to loosen it (which will help it
crisp in the oven). Place chicken on a sheet
pan, skin side up. Roast 30 to 35 minutes,
until skin is nicely crisped and a kitchen
thermometer inserted into a breast registers
160 degrees.Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: In a small
bowl, combine chile oil, sesame paste if
using, 1 tsp sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar,
sugar, and ginger. Set aside.When chicken is done, remove pan to a flat
surface. Slowly press down on each chicken
piece with a rolling pin and roll along its
length so that meat breaks apart and shreds
bit. Tear meat and, if preferred, remove
bones. Scrape pan to collect any browned
bits and juices, and add them to your sauce.Place rice, noodles, or lettuce in a large
serving dish and set bang bang chicken on
top. Scatter with cucumber, then pour sauce
all over. Top with scallions, cilantro, and
peanuts (if using). Serves 3 to 4.Big flavors in a healthy weeknight dishProject Takeout: Order a burrito, save a restaurant
Every order helps right now.Italy’s prosecco industry is unusually
well prepared this year for the arrival of
spring, said Elin McCoy in Bloomberg
.com. For the fi rst time, vintners are
being allowed to sell sparkling rosé
wines as prosecco. None of it is unaf-
fordable, and the best options are
delightful—“delicious sip- anytime
fi zz for when you need fi ve min-
utes of relaxation.”
2020 Villa Sandi Il Fresco Brut
($15). This beautifully colored pro-
secco is a standout, with fl oral aro-
mas, hints of cherry, and a “zingy,
salty, savory and citrusy taste.”
2019 Zonin Extra Dry ($16). You’ll
encounter “juicy strawberries-
and-cream fl avors” in this
“lively and frothy” sparkling
wine. It’s “positively gulp-able.”
2020 Ruggeri Argeo Brut ($17).
“This pale pink fi zz offers a lush
texture, aromas of fl owers and
red currants, and fl avors that
hint of fresh berries.”Wine: Pink prosecco